Lawmakers questioned DoD officials on the department’s long-delayed acknowledgement of PFAS-contaminated water on installations during a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing.

“To put it charitably: it is unclear why DoD feels justified in passing the buck to the EPA,” subcommittee chairman Harley Rouda (D-Calif.) said, according to Military Times. “Particularly in light of evidence suggesting DoD’s awareness of the toxicity of the chemicals since the early 1980s.”

A 2016 Environmental Protection Agency report on the cancer-causing chemicals spurred a Pentagon study that found PFAS chemicals on and near hundreds of installations.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment Maureen Sullivan outlined what the services are doing to clean up contaminated water.

“We strive to work in collaboration with regulatory agencies and communities to ensure our resources are applied effectively to protect human health across the country as part of a national effort led by EPA,” Sullivan said in prepared testimony.

“‘When’ is what we want to hear,” Rouda said. “When will we take actions to address these issues?”